Fun characters keep a meandering plot from overwhelming the essential mystery.
The reappearance of a former resident throws some Avalon Bay denizens into a confusing mess of murder and mayhem.
Whitney Dagner has returned to Catalina Island, off the coast of Southern California, to help her grandparents, who brought her up after both her parents took off. Her brother, Nick, her grandmother Goldy, and her grandfather Pops all help with her gift shop, Dame of the Sea, and Whit is happily dating police diver Felix Ramirez. When Goldy insists Whit join her at the funeral of a woman whose son Goldy had dated 50 years ago, trouble is on the horizon—what else could it mean that Pops has refused to go? Darren Milner is attending his mother’s funeral with Jericho, his male romantic partner, whose presence makes Whit realize that Goldy had been helping Darren keep his sexuality a secret back when it “could have gotten you beat up, ostracized, and sometimes even killed.” Strangely, in the middle of the funeral, a car races up and knocks the coffin to the ground. The driver, Elsie Jacobs, who was once engaged to Darren, creates a nasty scene. Later, when Jericho falls to his death from a catwalk at the Casino, where a documentary Darren has made about the island is premiering, it’s clear it was no accident. This isn’t Whit’s first rodeo. Realizing she has to investigate Jericho’s death to keep Goldy happy, she calls on some friends who are eager to help. Both Darren and Jericho have been involved in some dicey deals over the years, and their arrival on Catalina Island leads to an influx of tough-looking men who want answers to questions Whit’s clueless about. An underwater cave, a maniacal Elsie, and a raft of hidden secrets are just a few of the things Whit investigates on her journey to solving the murder and placating Goldy.
Fun characters keep a meandering plot from overwhelming the essential mystery.Pub Date: July 25, 2023
ISBN: 9781496742056
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Kensington
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
As usual, Evanovich handles the funny stuff better (much better) than the mystery stuff.
Stephanie Plum’s 31st adventure shows that Trenton’s preeminent fugitive-apprehension agent still has plenty of tricks up her sleeve, and needs every one of them.
The current caseload for Stephanie and Lula—the ex-prostitute file clerk at her cousin Vincent Plum’s bail bonds company, who serves as her unflappable sidekick—begins with two “failures to appear.” Eugene Fleck is suspected of being Robin Hoodie, who robs from the rich and, yes, distributes the proceeds to the poor. Racketeer Bruno Jug, who’s missed his court date on charges of tax evasion, is also suspected of drugging and raping a 14-year-old. But neither of these fugitives can hold a candle to Zoran Djordjevic, aka Fang, a self-proclaimed vampire wanted in connection with the gruesome fate of his late wife and three other missing women. As usual, Stephanie’s personal life is just as helter-skelter as her professional life as a bounty hunter. She’s managed to get herself engaged both to Det. Joe Morelli, of the Trenton PD, and Ranger, a former Special Forces agent who runs a private security firm; she thinks she may be pregnant; and she’s willing to marry the father, whichever of her fiances that turns out to be. On top of it all, her nothingburger schoolmate Herbert Slovinski suddenly pops up at one of the funerals she ferries her Grandma Mazur to, hitting on her relentlessly and gilding his importunities by cleaning and painting her shabby apartment and laying new carpet. Luckily, Lula’s on hand to offer cupcakes that stave off the worst disasters, and whenever this hodgepodge threatens to slow down, another FTA appears, or fails to appear.
As usual, Evanovich handles the funny stuff better (much better) than the mystery stuff.Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781668003138
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
Fast-moving excitement with a satisfying finish.
The feds must protect an accused criminal and an orphaned girl.
Maybe you’ve met him before as protagonist of The 6:20 Man (2022): Ex-Army Ranger Travis Devine, who’d had the dubious fortune to tangle with “the girl on the train,” is now assigned by his homeland security boss to protect Danny Glass, who's awaiting trial on multiple RICO charges in Washington state. Devine has what it takes: He “was a closer, snooper, fixer, investigator,” and, when necessary, a killer. These skills are on full display as the deaths of three key witnesses grind justice to a temporary halt. Glass has a 12-year-old niece, Betsy Odom, and each is the other’s only living relative—her parents recently died of an apparent drug overdose. The FBI has temporary guardianship of Betsy, who's a handful. She tells Travis that though she’s not yet 13, she's 28 in “life-shit years.” The financially well-heeled Glass wants to be her legal guardian with an eye to eventual adoption, but what are his real motives? And what happens to her if he's convicted? Meanwhile, Betsy insists that her parents never touched drugs, and she begs Travis to find out how they really died. This becomes part of a mission that oozes danger. The small town of Ricketts has a woman mayor who’s full of charm on the surface, but deeply corrupt and deadly when crossed. She may be linked to a subversive group called "12/24/65," as in 1865, when the Ku Klux Klan beast was born. Blood flows, bombs explode, and people perish, both good guys and not-so-good guys. Readers might ponder why in fiction as well as in life, it sometimes seems necessary for many to die so one may live. And what about the girl on the train? She's not necessary to the plot, but she's a fun addition as she pops in and out of the pages, occasionally leaving notes for Travis. Maybe she still wants him dead.
Fast-moving excitement with a satisfying finish.Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2024
ISBN: 9781538757901
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
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